As 2016 comes to a close, it’s time to look forward to the new year. What inbound marketing trends will emerge (or continue) in 2017? We identify the five most compelling trends on our radar that will affect our clients and guide our product development over the next 12 months.

Inbound Marketing Tool Integration. We predict stronger links between different types of inbound marketing tools. Many site owners lack a cohesive strategy that spans all phases of inbound marketing. By optimizing advertising and content marketing strategies, conversion techniques and incentives, and post-conversion engagement practices, site owners will be able to make more money faster. We don’t expect a single tool to dominate all phases; instead we expect to identify best-of-breed tools for each phase. Read more…

More Trustworthy Websites. We predict websites will become more interactive and more responsive to users’ emotional needs and build trust. This could include changes as simple as making the website content more empathetic and understanding of challenges faced by visitors or as complex as personalizing content for new versus returning users using Artificial Intelligence (AI). Read more…

More (Valuable) Free Stuff. We predict site owners will have to offer users more value up front at no cost. What can you offer to users for free that will (a) bring them to your website without (b) causing you to go broke? The answer to this question allows site owners to attract prospects, prove the value of their product or service, and paves the way for future selling opportunities.

Organic SEO / Google. We predict organic search results in Google will remain essential. No surprise here, as a list of inbound marketing trends would not be complete without mentioning inbound leads from Google. The best recipe for success on Google is to consistently post valuable content for your intended audience. In recent years, Google has given added weight to websites that are mobile friendly and SSL secure, so support on both counts is an absolute must.

Social Advertising. We predict that advertising on Facebook (and, to a lesser extent, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms) will become increasingly lucrative thanks to the ability to target certain types of users based either on their demographic information (location, age, sex, etc.) or who they’re friends with as well as the ability to target specific individuals. We are most intrigued by tools like Facebook’s Custom Audiences, which allows site owners to upload a list of email addresses and identify similar users to advertise to.